The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp is paying a hefty price to expand in the People’s Republic. The Singaporean group is realising a long-held ambition by splashing out almost $5 billion for Hong Kong’s Wing Hang bank. But the deal looks expensive at a time when growth on the mainland is slowing and the U.S. Federal Reserve’s tapering is threatening to push up deposit costs.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Li & Fung has embraced financial engineering. The Hong Kong trading house, which grew to prominence by helping Western companies find cheap factories in Asia, has announced plans to spin off its branding arm into a separate unit. Though investors welcomed the news, any sustained re-rating requires both bits of the company to demonstrate they can deliver organic growth.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Li & Fung has embraced financial engineering. The Hong Kong trading house, which grew to prominence by helping Western companies find cheap factories in Asia, has announced plans to spin off its branding arm into a separate unit. Though investors welcomed the news, any sustained re-rating requires both bits of the company to demonstrate they can deliver organic growth.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Japan’s stock market has suffered a temporary setback. The country’s equity indices have dropped more than 10 percent this year in local currency terms. With the central bank on standby for more easing, however, Japanese stocks should benefit from home support.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Japan’s stock market has suffered a temporary setback. The country’s equity indices have dropped more than 10 percent this year in local currency terms. With the central bank on standby for more easing, however, Japanese stocks should benefit from home support.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Temasek is extending a protective arm around Olam. The Singapore state investor is leading a group which has offered to buy the 48 percent of the commodity trader it doesn’t already own at a valuation of $4.3 billion. The buyout should help to shield Olam from sceptical short-sellers – and remove any doubts over its creditworthiness.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Temasek is extending a protective arm around Olam. The Singapore state investor is leading a group which has offered to buy the 48 percent of the commodity trader it doesn’t already own at a valuation of $4.3 billion. The buyout should help to shield Olam from sceptical short-sellers – and remove any doubts over its creditworthiness.

The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.

Two of China’s internet companies are joining forces against their common foe: Alibaba. Tencent is injecting its also-ran e-commerce units and $215 million in cash into JD.com for a 15 percent pre-IPO stake in the online retailer. More importantly, the two will collaborate on mobile commerce. Both have the same objective: erode Alibaba’s dominant market share.

The authors are Reuters Breakingviews columnists. The opinions expressed are their own.

Two of China’s internet companies are joining forces against their common foe: Alibaba. Tencent is injecting its also-ran e-commerce units and $215 million in cash into JD.com for a 15 percent pre-IPO stake in the online retailer. More importantly, the two will collaborate on mobile commerce. Both have the same objective: erode Alibaba’s dominant market share.

The author is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.

Once again, investors are facing warnings about China’s “Bear Stearns moment”. The country’s possible first domestic bond default has prompted comparisons with the sequence of events that led to the bailout of the Wall Street firm. The parallels between China’s predicament and the crisis of 2008 may be tempting, but are flawed. If the analogy has any use, it’s as a reminder of which mistakes to avoid.

About Peter

"Peter is Assistant Editor of Reuters Breakingviews, based in London. He oversees coverage of financial services and regulation. Prior to joining Reuters, Peter spent 10 years at the Financial Times. From 2004 to 2009 he was the FT’s banking editor, leading the paper’s award-winning coverage of global banking during the credit crunch. Between 2000 and 2004 Peter reported for the FT from New York. He played a leading role in the paper’s coverage of the 9/11 attacks and their aftermath. A Dutch national, Peter has degrees from Bristol University and the London School of Economics."